The Bentley Continental is one of the most luxurious cars on the market today. Surely, if someone’s going to customize the Continental, he’s not going to butcher the luxury sedan and turn it into a Frankensteinian horror show? In what amounts to Russia’s latest “hold my beer” moment, a Russian tuner did precisely what you’d think it would do. Ladies and gentlemen, feast your ideas on the Bentley Continental Tank. Oh, yes, the Continental, one of the most esteemed sedans that money can buy, is now this rancid monstrosity. For a country that has shown tremendous panache in building some of the most unusual -- and I say that loosely -- custom car creations you’ve ever seen, the Bentley Continental Tank definitely takes the cake.

I’ll assume that some of you actually think that this is cool. At first glance, that was my sentiment, too. A Bentley Continental rolling out around on tank tracks? That’s straight out of an episode of “Tuners-Gone-Nuts,” at least if such a show existed. Then I started to realize something. The car that was used in this build isn’t a Fiat 500. It’s also not a Honda Civic. Heck, it’s not even a Mercedes C-Class. It’s a Bentley Continental!

Curiosities aside, I found myself wondering what brought about this madness. Why mess up the Continental like this? Then just as all these questions started popping up, I realized it really wasn’t so much about messing up the Continental as it was creating something that nobody would’ve dared to create. And so, much to the chagrin of my inner psyche, I came to terms with this creation and looked at it for what it really is: lunacy. Absolute lunacy.

I don’t remember the last time a luxury car — or any car, for that matter — rode on tank tracks. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on items such as this but watching the video illuminated a few aspects of this build. The process itself involved stripping down the Continental and repurposing a number of its panels. The fenders, for example, were cut up in ways that would make it easier for the entire tank track assembly to fit into the car. It sounds ridiculous even writing it, but we’re way past the borders of sanity here. It’s not clear from the video if this happened, but I imagine that the Continental’s chassis and suspension underwent significant modifications to accommodate the same track assembly. The Continental’s doors were also removed, presumably to make it easier for the driver to get in and out of the vehicle. The rear windshield also went out the window — no pun intended — possibly for weight-saving reasons.

In the end, the Continental looks like it came straight out of the Mad Max: Fury Road museum. I honestly don’t know how to feel about it. I admit I was impressed that it actually functioned as it should, but I still can’t get past the butchering of the Continental to make something that’s probably going to sit in someone’s garage more often than it will be taken out on the road. I think it’s a waste of a perfectly fine Bentley Continental, but, then again, it’s not my Bentley so why should I care what somebody does to theirs.

Besides, one must also consider the source of this creation and realize that Russians have a particular penchant for turning vehicles into bizarre works of whatever-the-heck-they-turned-into. We’ve seen fur-covered cars in that part of the world. We’ve seen cars completely covered in candle wax. We’ve even seen a car that’s been kitted out with aerodynamic panels made out of cardboard.

Nothing’s out of bounds when it comes to the custom car scene in Russia. If you need any more convincing, look no further than the Bentley Ultratank. Trust me; there’s no chance that you can un-see this thing once you look at it for the first time.

Bentley Continental V8 specifications

Bentley Continental GT

Bentley Continental GTC

Engine

4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V-8

4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V-8

Horsepower

542 HP

542 HP

Torque

568 LB-FT

568 LB-FT

0 to 60 mph

3.9 seconds

4.0 seconds

Top Speed

198 mph

198 mph


Further reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Bentley Continental GT Convertible.

Read our full review on the 2018 Bentley Continental GT.

Read our full review on the previous generation 2014 Bentley Continental GT V8 S.